DC Velocity - June 2016

t ec hnol ogyr ev i ew

PERFORMANCE

DELIVERED

Seven decades of experience sets our balers apart. Superior engineering refined over the years yields a baling chamber designed to maximize geometry and physics, delivering exceptional bale density and integrity. Our proprietary auto-tier design and the finest components ensure reliability and productivity, delivering a lower operating cost per ton. With the vision and tenacity of an eagle, American Baler takes performance to new heights.

INTEGRITY I QUALITY I RELIABILITY I VALUE

800.843.7512

AmericanBaler.com

American Baler_DC Velocity Magazine.indd 1 2/9/2016 11:22: 23 AM 46 DC VELOCITY JUNE 2016 www.dcvelocity.com

“SMART SHELVES” BOOST VISIBILITY

One answer to the visibility problem
may come in the form of RFID-
enabled “smart shelves” that use
embedded RFID scanners to auto-
matically track high-value inventory
like implantable stents, knees, heart
valves, and pacemakers.

Each smart shelf has a power cord and an Internet connection, so it scans the items dozens of times per day, then sends the information to an inventory management platform that can be accessed by hospitals, manufacturers, and distributors.

Most systems also run these scans every time an item is stocked or removed, recording details such as the lot number, serial number, universal product number (UPN), purchase order, expiration date, the time it arrived, and how long it’s been sitting in inventory.

Compared with stock-keeping methods like handheld bar-code scanners or paper checklists, RFID scans collect more data and share it more broadly with other systems. The approach allows data to quickly flow between separate software platforms such as a device maker’s manufacturing execution system, a healthcare network’s materials management system, a hospital’s electronic medical records platform, and a supplier’s warehouse management system, Saghbini says.

NO DRUG LEFT BEHIND?

Another way that RFID can pay off in healthcare applications is by helping businesses adhere to strict product safety and security protocols, says Josh Cannon, director of global healthcare strategy at Atlanta-based UPS Inc.

For example, to comply with provisions of the Drug Supply Chain Security Act aimed at maintaining product integrity, discouraging theft, and preventing counterfeiting, logistics professionals in the pharma supply chain must implement rigorous systems for tracking and tracing their shipments. The precision of RFID tracking can help them meet the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirement that they be able to pinpoint the location of any drug throughout the supply chain and drill down to the individual package level.

The benefits of ensuring the safe, swift delivery of medical products to hospitals go beyond the savings achieved through streamlining the supply chain, however. It also helps improve patients’ experiences.

“Leveraging this technology to streamline processes such as order placement for orthopedic-device surgeries and having visibility over inventory in distribution centers close to hospitals makes the supply chain an important component to patient care,” Cannon says.